Of Course It Hurts, by Karin Boye (Translation by Jenny Nunn) Of course it hurts when buds burst. Otherwise why would spring hesitate? Why would all our fervent longing be bound in the frozen bitter haze? The bud was the casing all winter. What is this new thing, which consumes and bursts? Of course it hurts when buds burst, pain for that which grows and for that which envelops. Of course it is hard when drops fall. Trembling with fear they hang heavy, clamber on the branch, swell and slide – the weight pulls them down, how they cling. Hard to be uncertain, afraid and divided, hard to feel the deep pulling and calling, yet sit there and just quiver – hard to want to stay and want to fall. Then, at the point of agony and when all is beyond help, the tree's buds burst as in jubilation, then, when fear no longer exists, the branch's drops rumble in a shimmer, forgetting that they were afraid of the new, forgetting that they were fearful of the journey – feeling for a second their greatest security, resting in the trust that creates the world.
Thanks for the uplifting words and great metaphor. Happy Spring! Irene
I love this. And, the poem that inspired it. Thank you for sharing.